93-year-old fan of the Hokey Pokey gets the perfect birthday surprise

published 2 September 2021

Phyllis Brinkerhoff wants just one thing: For everyone to love the Hokey Pokey as much as she does.

The 93-year-old Prairie Village, Kansas, resident adores the song, telling CBS News it's "fun" and "joyous." She gave her neighbor, Melanie Mendrys, a CD featuring the bop, and regularly checked in to see if she'd turned her into a fan. "I just would always say, 'Not quite yet,'" Mendrys said.

Brinkerhoff — who told CBS News she finds it "very amazing" that not everyone enjoys the Hokey Pokey — got used to the idea that Mendrys may not become the song's No. 1 fan. She didn't know, however, that Mendrys was planning something for her 93rd birthday. Mendrys invited their neighbors to stand outside of Brinkerhoff's house so they could all surprise her by doing the Hokey Pokey dance together. On the big day, the flash mob gathered on Brinkerhoff's lawn to Hokey Pokey — and of course, she joined in, too. "The smile on her face was so big," Mendrys said. "It doesn't take that much to make someone's day."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.